New Releases for August 28, 2015

August 25, 2015

CDs + Vinyl:

Nat Adderly – For Duke And Cannon (Sextet Live At Sweet Basil) CD (Squatty Roo Recordings)
Cornetist Nat Adderley, brother and musical partner of alto sax great Cannonball Adderley, is featured here fourteen years after his brother’s death, but still going strong, live at Greenwich Village’s legendary Sweet Basil. Never replacing his brother, but at very least, two great alto men are needed to fill the master’s shoes: in this case Vincent Herring and Sonny Fortune, who are playing snakes throughout, doing justice to their predecessor.

Ahab – The Boats Of The Glen Carrig CD/2xLP (Napalm)The Boats Of The Glen Carrig is a novel by William Hope Hodgson from 1907 that tells the gruesome story of survival after shipwreck – a fitting subject for the German funeral doom metal four-piece.

Ruby Amanfu – Standing Still CD/LP (Rival & Co.)Standing Still, the new album from Nashville songbird Ruby Amanfu, was recorded live in just five days in a remote log cabin near Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. Upon arrival, the furniture was moved out and the six-piece band set up in the cabin’s picturesque great room. Producer Mark Howard strategically set up amps around the house in bedrooms, bathrooms, closets and even the basement. Candles were lit and incense burned, and the mood was set for Ruby to sing. The first single, “Shadow On The Wall”, was produced by special guest Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) and was mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Adele, U2, Mark Ronson, Arcade Fire, Lana Del Rey, Amy Winehouse, The Black Keys).

Atlas Genius – Inanimate Objects CD (WB)
Produced by Atlas Genius and Frederik Thaae, Inanimate Objects is the follow-up to the band’s 2013 full-length debut, When It Was Now, which was hailed by Rolling Stone as a “spritely, melodic debut album.”

Stefano Battaglia Trio – In The Morning CD (ECM)
On his sixth album for ECM the Italian pianist and his trio reflect on the work of composer Alec Wilder (1907-1980).

Beach House – Depression Cherry CD/LP+MP3 (Sub Pop)
Fifth album from the Baltimore, MD duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. “If you view a band as a long-term artistic project, then Beach House have always been perfect. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have done everything right: They’ve found the ideal balance of dim, lush tones; their sound progresses at a graceful, even clip; they leave just the right amount of time between albums. Even their name is perfect: Beach houses are rickety, inviting spaces that, by nature of their existence, live outside of time. If a beach house were to change noticeably—if that paperback you left there last May isn’t still sitting upside-down and open to the same page, gathering dust on the same shelf you left it—you’d be upset.” [BNM/8.4] — Pitchfork

Willis Earl Beal – Noctunes CD/2xLP+MP3 (Tender Loving Empire)
“Enigmatic experimenter Willis Earl Beal has had a bit of a rough lead-up to his album Noctunes, as he recently spent a couple of weeks in jail on charges of criminal mischief and harassment. Now, he’s putting that behind him by streaming his album in full. The album makes good on the nocturnal implications of its title, as it begins with the ambient sprawl of the softly crooned opener ‘Under You.’ From there, the synth textures throughout the LP are pillowy and Beal’s crooning is warm and soothing, while a few electronic beats slightly spice up the soundscape from time to time.” – Exclaim

Bichcraft – Mascot CD/LP (Wharf Cat)
As fluent in Jesus And Mary Chain’s Psychocandy as they are with Sonic Youth and Big Black, Bichkraft is heavy, paranoid music with frenetic jams of dueling and weaving guitars, digitized howls, amped up brutality and chaos, and even some undeniably pretty moments of love and decay.

Soren Bryce – Soren Bryce CDEP (Razor & Tie)
New EP from the singer/songwriter, produced by David Kahne (Lana Del Rey, Ingrid Michaelson). Soren Bryce was the Newport Award Winner in the 11th Annual IAMA Awards for folk/Americana/roots music. Soren featured in three episodes of Producers Closet, a web series showcasing “Next To Breakthrough” artists introduced by Grammy-Award winning producer Kahne.

Gussie Clark – From The Foundation CD+DVD (VP)
From one of reggae’s most successful producers comes this 18-song anthology from the vaults from his Music Works and Gussie labels. From The Foundation celebrates the legacy of Augustus Gussie Clarke, the careers he launched and guided and the classic hits that resulted. The package contains a newly produced documentary video titled “Gussie Clarke: From The Foundation” which includes vintage footage and rare interviews chronicling the highlights of an amazing musical career. Vinyl version due October 9.

Crazytown – The Brimstone Sluggers CD (Membran)The Brimstone Sluggers is the first official release by Crazytown in more than ten years. Spearheaded by a team of Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer and Bret “Epic” Mazur, Crazy Town combine hip-hop’s lyrical attitude with the grooves of a rock record.

The Robert Cray Band – 4 Nights Of 40 Years Live CD/2xLP+MP3 (Provogue)
Contemporary blues icon Robert Cray celebrates his 40 years of performing. This live album was recorded at Venture, Belly Up, Saban Theatre and his rehearsal studio in Dec 2014. Also available on stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray.

Andra Day – Cheers To The Fall CD (WB)Cheers To The Fall, Andra’s debut album, is what she calls “a biography told in the form of soul music.” The 13 tracks see her exploring relationships with both others and herself, grappling with past mistakes but ultimately finding forgiveness and truth. “Andra Day is a true artist. Obsessed with jazz, soul and rock, the 30-year-old Warner Brother Records signee various elements into her classically trained vocals to create a modern, yet vintage and powerful sound.” – Essence

Defeater – Abandoned CD (Epitaph)
One of Boston’s most devoted and steadfast hardcore bands, Defeater knows what it takes to remain credible in a scene where fans demand both unapologetic, in-your-face power and intense emotional honesty. Vinyl version due September 4.

Destroyer – Poison Season CD (Merge)Poison Season opens with Vancouver native Dan Bejar swathed in Hunky Dory strings. He’s a dashboard Bowie surveying four wracked characters—Jesus, Jacob, Judy, Jack—simultaneously Biblical and musical theatre. This bittersweet, Times Square-set fanfare is reprised twice more on the record—first as swaying, saxophone-stoked “street-rock” and then finally as a curtain-closing reverie. Mr. Bejar has long displayed a chameleonic instinct for change while maintaining a unified aesthetic (rather than just pinballing between reference points). No two records sound the same, but they’re always uniquely Destroyer. His latest incarnation often appears to take sonic cues from a distinctly British (usually Scottish, to be precise) strain of sophisti-pop: you might hear traces of Aztec Camera, Prefab Sprout, Orange Juice, or The Blow Monkeys. These songs merge a casual literary brilliance with intense melodic verve, nimble arrangements, and a certain blue-eyed soul sadness. Vinyl version due September 11.

Donovan Wolfington – How To Treat The Ones You Love CD/LP (Topshelf)
“Donovan Wolfington is a New Orleans-area punk band that has turned dark times and some quick growing up into a diversely alluring sophomore album called How To Treat The Ones You Love. It started off on a Green Day tip and wound up being shaped by the death of a close friend and collaborator. It ranges from the breezy hooks of ‘Mercurus’ to a spoken word rumination on shame and sin over hardcore guitars called ‘Locusts.’” — Billboard

Faces – 1970-1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (1970-1975) 5xCD/5xLP (Rhino)You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (1970-1975) includes: The First Step (1970), Long Player (1971), A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse (1971), and Ooh La La (1973), and a bonus disc Stray Singles & B-Sides, which features rare tracks associated with each album. Despite their hard-partying reputation, the band was a formidable powerhouse and could play it all-blues, soul, funk, country and boogie.

Foals – What Went Down CD/CD+DVD/LP+MP3 (WB)
All of the truly transformative and era-defining albums have grappled with questions that are a world away from the bland bleatings of homogenized pop. Permanence and impermanence, life and death, solitude, vulnerability, intimacy, passion, rage, humanity – weighty issues that make demands of the people creating that music, and of all those who listen to it, too. What Went Down confronts these issues head-on. “The band have characterized What Went Down as their heaviest album yet, and it certainly rages with a fresh fire: the title track’s descending chord-sequence is the closest they’ll get to ‘I Want To Be Your Dog.’ But by the same token, the nibbly little guitar and hi-hat of ‘Birch Tree’ is the closest they’ll come to disco, an indication of their ambitions” – The Independent. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a four track DVD featuring the making-of-the-album documentary entitled “Crème Anglaise,” the video for title track “What Went Down,” and two Poolside Sessions.

Peter Frampton – Premonition [Reissue/1985] CD (Omnivore)Peter Frampton – When All The Pieces Fit [Reissue/1989] CD (Omnivore)
After an incredible run through the 1970s on A&M Records, Peter Frampton reemerged in 1986 on a new label, with a new album, Premonition, and single that found him back on the Billboard charts. After the chart success of that release, and his featured spot on David Bowie’s Glass Spider Tour, Peter Frampton followed up with his tenth studio release, 1989’s When All The Pieces Fit.

Frog Eyes – Pickpocket’s Locket CD/LP (Paper Bag)
New album from the BC art-rock institution. A press release notes that the 10 songs from the set were written by bandleader Carey Mercer on an acoustic guitar that was left to him in his father’s will. As explained by Mercer, “It was all he had to give, because he wasn’t a rich man. I wrote 10 songs on it, and I think that was the real gift he gave me: a love of music, not just the way you all love it (music lovers), but also a love of creating it, sowing myself, in some small way, into the story of music.”

Grandchildren – Zuni CD/LP (Ernest Jenning)
Known for their cinematic orchestrations blending folk, pop and electronic music, Grandchildren have been steadily making a name for themselves since songwriter Aleks Martray founded the group in Philadelphia in 2008. Since then the band has evolved into a dynamic ensemble of musicians, lauded by critics and fans alike for their intricately arrangements and high-energy performances, while touring the country with like minded acts including Man Man, O’Death, and Rubblebucket.

Halsey – Badlands CD/LP (Astralwerks)
Rising indie pop ingénue Halsey was one of the most buzzed-about performers at SXSW 2015. She delivers her lush vocals with clarity, precision, and a combination of classic elegance and punk edge that makes her dynamic songs all the more powerful. Whether her voice is soaring above the sizzling synths and skittering electronic beats of ‘Hurricane’ or propelling the syncopated rhythms of “Ghost,” Halsey possesses a cutting-edge style within these sonically adventurous arrangements.

Zac Harmon – Right Man, Right Now CD (Blind Pig)
Zac Harmon is an award-winning guitarist, organist, singer, and songwriter whose distinctive style combines the best of old-school soul-blues artists with modern lyrics and themes that bring the blues into a new century.

Jimi Hendrix Experience – Atlanta Pop Festival 2xCD/2xLP (Sony Legacy)
About 100 miles south of Atlanta, next to a field just outside the town of Byron, there stands a plaque erected by the Georgia Historical Society marking the location of the Second Atlanta International Pop Festival, where from July 3-5, 1970, “Over thirty musical acts performed, including rock icon Jimi Hendrix playing to the largest American audience of his career.” Despite the overwhelming attendance (estimated to be 300,000-400,000), the festival and Hendrix’s performance in particular, has not received it’s due in terms of historic importance and impact until now. This is the soundtrack to that performance, which also serves as a companion to the Electric Church DVD release (due October 30th).

Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light CD (Nettwerk)
Following up from their hugely successful 2012 record HyperParadise, the new effort from the Australian electronica duo dives head first into a vocal-led world of hip hop sounds, Latin rhythms, and huge trap-heavy percussion. Often straddling between the worlds of illumination and shadows, the aptly titled release truly celebrates the pair’s unique take on future beats. Vinyl version due October 9.

Hooton Tennis Club – Highest Point In Cliff Town CD/LP (Heavenly/PIAS America)
“Given that they sound like a cross between Parquet Courts, Lee Ranaldo’s solo stuff and Daniel Johnston, it’s hard to believe that Hooton Tennis Club are from Cheshire and Merseyside. Knowing that they had former Coral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones produce the album at Parr Street Studios helps, though, and if the recordings are anything to go by, it sounds like they had a lot of fun together.” – Clash Music

Susan Howe & David Grubbs – Woodslippercounterclatter CD/LP (Blue Chopsticks)
The fourth collaboration in a decade from poet Susan Howe and guitarist David Grubbs. Veering away from the stuttering, profoundly fragmented séance of Frolic Architecture (2011), Howe and Grubbs present a sound-work that germinates from new Susan Howe text collages and prose poems (referencing Tom Tit Tot, Childe Roland, Paul Thek, W. B. Yeats, and so on), a number of which were included in the 2014 Whitney Biennial and have more recently been collected in Tom Tit Tot, a MoMA publication featuring artwork by R. H. Quaytman. On Woodslippercounterclatter, Howe’s texts are blended with the resonant sounds of Grubbs’s composition for piano and field recordings made in the near silence of off-hours in Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

John Hulburt – Opus III [Reissue/1972] CD/LP (Tompkins Square)
Ryley Walker (singer/songwriter, Dead Oceans) discovered this LP in a Chicago record store. John Hulburt was in legendary Chicago garage band The Knaves before releasing this great private press solo guitar record (with a couple of vocal tracks) in 1972. Reissued for the first time ever, with notes by Ryley Walker, Hulburt’s sister, Cynthia Fritz, and Gene Shay (The Knaves).

The Kitchen Cinq – When The Rainbow Disappears: An Anthology 1965-1968 CD/2xLP (Light In The Attic)
New collection by the Texas-bred ‘60s garage rock/pop band, compiled by Alec Palao (music historian and former Sneetches member), who also provides the liner notes. This set includes The Kitchen Cinq’s complete sessions for Lee Hazelwood’s label, LHI, comprising the Everything But album and non-LP singles as well as rare sides by the act’s earlier incarnations as The Illusions and The Y’All’s. Fully remastered audio with three previously unissued cuts.

k-os – Can’t Fly Without Gravity CD (Dine Alone)
First new album from Toronto alt hip-hop artist in four years, featuring the hits “WiLD4TheNight” and “Turn Me Loose.”

Kottonmouth Kings – Krown Power CD/2xCD (United Family Music)
New album from the stoner hip-hop collective. Guests include members of Twiztid, ICP, and Hed PE. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a disc featuring 19 bonus tracks.

Mike Krol – Turkey CD/LP+MP3 (Merge)
In bowling’s hallowed alleys, a strike is the minor miracle of all ten pins falling at once. Back-to-back strikes make a double. Do it a third time and you’ve got yourself a turkey. History will decide which sports metaphor to apply to Mike Krol’s first two records, I Hate Jazz (2011) and Trust Fund (2013). But as needle meets groove on Turkey—Krol’s first record for Merge—there is no ambiguity. A shiny black ball tumbles past the suburban strip malls of a polyestered Wisconsin and veers precariously close to an East Coast gutter before gathering momentum in a physics-defying sprint for the Pacific. California is where the headpin falls—the right velocity, the perfect geometry, the bowler’s intent beautifully realized in a noisy moment of awesome destruction. Mike Krol got his bike stolen and his heart broken. He bailed on graphic-design-as-career. He kept playing drums and guitars, and he kept writing songs about the stuff he hated and the stuff he loved. Plug the vocal mic into a guitar amp. Plug the guitar into an overheating box of vacuum tubes. Put the computer in the closet. Roll the tape.

Last Days – Symbols & Snares CD (Black Country Rock)
The duo Katy Cole and Chris Schempp joined forces with producer Shooter Jennings to record their new album. “The best thing about Katy (Cole) and her voice and songs is that, one minute it reminds me of something you would get from Florence & The Machine and the next minute it might be a beautiful country ballad. Then something reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails will pop up on the record. It’s so unpredictable, which is the way I like my music. I was really glad they asked me to be a part of this project and I’m very proud of the record we’ve been making this year.” — Shooter Jennings

The Lighthouse And The Whaler – Mont Royal CD/LP (Roll Call)
“Ohio-grown The Lighthouse And The Whaler’s Mont Royal sounds similar at times to Band Of Horses, with hints of Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues. It changes directions slightly on the sixth track, adding a flavor akin to some of The National’s output.” – Under The Radar

Maddie & Tae – Start Here CD (Dot)
Debut album by this country music duo composed of vocalists Madison Marlow and Taylor Dye, featuring the single, “Girl In A Country Song.”

Van Morrison – The Essential Van Morrison 2xCD (Sony Legacy)
Double-disc collection from the legendary Irish singer/songwriter and rock icon. Includes solo material like “Brown Eyed Girl” plus his first real commercial break-through: “Gloria” by Them, the band he fronted just prior to his successful solo career.

Motörhead – Bad Magic CD/LP/LP+CD [Box] (UDR)
Drawing on their own vast catalogue of road-warrior freewheeling rock & roll spirit, Motörhead’s new album, Bad Magic, arrives as they celebrate their 40th anniversary as a band. (Also available as a Deluxe box set which includes the vinyl + CD + poster and more.)

Nile – What Should Not Be Unearthed CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
The reigning kings of technical, historically-themed brutality are back with their eighth album.

Andy T. / Nick Nixon Band – Numbers Man CD (Blind Pig)
Andy T’s jazz-tinged guitar style is influenced by T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Magic Sam, and Albert Collins among others, yet it remains his own. The velvet-voiced Nixon, whose singing recalls Jimmy Witherspoon and Billy Eckstine, was part of Nashville’s thriving blues scene in the ‘60s. He was a longtime member of The New Imperials, recorded for Chess Records in the ‘70s and has performed with many of the top blues and R&B artists in the world.

The Paper Kites – Twelvefour CD (Nettwerk)
Sophomore album from the Australian indie-folk outfit. Vinyl version due October 9. The Paper Kites’ music has been featured on numerous television shows including ABC’s Forever and Grey’s Anatomy, as well as The CW’s Reign.

Putridity – Ignominious Atonement CD (Willowtip)
“With only eight swift songs on their new LP Ignominious Atonement, Italy’s Putridity don’t mess around when it comes to destructive death metal. Musicality aside, even their track titles would definitely please death metal O.G.’s like Cannibal Corpse with names like ‘Conceived Through Vermination’ and ‘Dead Festering Drainage.’” – Invisible Oranges

David Ramirez – Fables CD/LP (Sweetworld)Fables‘ is a sparse, poignant set of songs crafted around Ramirez’ starkly beautiful baritone, which the New York Times once described as full of “haggard loneliness.” In a world full of singer-songwriters hawking their stories, Ramirez has managed to stand out from the noise, developing a fiercely loyal following of fans who are drawn to his intimately personal songwriting.

Enrico Rava Quartet & Gianluca Petrella – Wild Dance CD (ECM)Wild Dance is a trans-generational undertaking, initiated by the grand master of Italian jazz. Energized by joyous experiences on the road, the ever youthful Enrico Rava took his new working quartet of the last two years into Arte Suono Studio in Udine. Here they were joined by trombonist Gianluca Petrella, an internationally noted player through his contributions to Rava’s three acclaimed post-millennium quintet albums Tribe (2011), The Words & The Days (2005) and Easy Living (2003), as well as a string of albums under his own name.

Ben Rector – Brand New CD (Aptly Named Recordings, LLC)
New release from the Nashville-based singer/songwriter. Brand New is the follow-up to 2013’s successful The Walking In Between album.

Royal Trux – Hand Of Glory [Reissue/2002] CD/LP (Drag City)
Remember first hearing Royal Trux and feeling it was some weird dirty exhilarating secret you only shared with a few people, like some creepy addiction? The missing piece of the Royal Trux puzzle, circa 1989-1990, right around they recorded some early singles for Drag City. Neil Michael Hagerty literally found these tapes in a trunk in his dad’s basement in 2000. The largest cache of unheard Royal Trux since 1997’s Singles, Live, Unreleased.

Klaus Schulze – La Vie Electronique 16 5xCD (Made In Germany Music)
Heady days for fans of German electronicist Klaus Schulze, as the sixteenth (!) volume of the La Vie Electronique retrospective series is released by MIG Music. With five whole CDs, we get to hear Schulze’s material stretch out to its full original length, unabbreviated. 385 wild and spacey minutes.

Silicon – Personal Computer CD/LP (Weird World)
Silicon is the new project from New Zealand via Hawaii multi-instrumentalist Kody Nielson. Personal Computer, the debut album, is a seductive electronic pop record that pits Nielson’s brilliant soul, funk and disco influenced songwriting against a backdrop of extra-terrestrial noir sonics, calling to mind the varied likes of Flying Lotus, Panda Bear and Portishead in the process, as well as that of Unknown Mortal Orchestra — the project of Nielson’s brother and former bandmate in The Mint Chicks.

Margo Smith – The Very Best Of Margo Smith CD (Varese Sarabande)
Country hit maker Margo Smith’s first ever-greatest hits collection. During the late ‘70s and early ‘80s she charted more than two-dozen singles, including two Number One hits and five Top 10s, 14 of which are featured here.

Soilwork – The Ride Majestic CD/LP (Nuclear Blast)
Soilwork’s tenth album was recorded by David Castillo (Opeth, Katatonia) and mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren (Kreator, Amon Amarth) at Fascination Street Studios. The Ride Majestic picks up where the band left off with 2014’s The Living Infinite but with a slightly darker, atmospheric, and anthemic feel with interesting twists and turns. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus track.

Tamaryn – Cranekiss CD/LP+MP3 (Mexican Summer)
With Cranekiss, Tamaryn emerges from her past efforts in a way that’s inviting, warm-blooded, and shockingly direct. She’s made a big record, loaded with samples, synth triggers and processing that was missing from her previous efforts, pressed into service of a post-adolescent love letter to all the music that she and her collaborators (Jorge Elbrecht of Violens and Lansing-Dreiden, Shaun Durkan of Weekend) hold dear.

Taste – I’ll Remember: A Box Of Taste 4xCD (Republic/Polydor)
An archival box set featuring the music of Taste, the Irish rock/blues band formed in the mid-‘60s that featured Rory Gallagher on guitar and vocals. The four-disc set features both studio albums (1969’s Taste and the 1970 follow-up On The Boards) expanded with many alternate versions of album tracks. The third CD is full of live audio from 1970 culled from concerts in Stockholm and London while the final disc adds demos, rare single cuts and more live material.

Tijuana Panthers – Poster CD (Innovative Leisure)
Live and on record, the Tijuana Panthers are a great band. You could say garage, punk or surf while describing their sound, but they’re harder to pin than that. The truth is that they write classic songs that don’t depend on tropes from any genre. They craft perfect pop and deliver it with energy and immediacy. However, the real magic of this band is in their weirdness. Vinyl version due September 11.

Conway Twitty – The Best Of Conway Twitty: The Complete Warner Bros. And Elektra Chart Singles CD (Varese Sarabande)
Conway Twitty was one of the best selling country artists of all-time. In his long career he charted 98 singles, with 40 of them hitting number one. This new collection focuses on his years with Elektra and Warner Bros. Records (1982 through 1986). It features eight number one hits, and six top ten hits.

Various Artists – The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Samba CD (World Music Network)
In much the same way that the blues have informed so much Euro-American popular music in the last century, so too has the comparatively rough-and-ready but chameleon-like 2/4 tempo of samba, which has leaked into everything Brazilian from funk, jazz and soul to hip-hop, indie rock, folk and psychedelic rock. This compilation takes psychedelia as a starting-point, without being too purist about the 2/4 bit. That would deprive us of the joys of Bahia Bass, funky 4/4 psych-soul samba and the countless other permutations of the last few years.

Various Artists – We’re Loud: ‘90s Cassette Punk Unknowns CD (Slovenly)
33 scuzzed out tracks by 19 unknown bands from micro-released and unreleased cassettes recorded across the USA between 1993 and 1999 — totally off the radar and outsider as f**k –capturing a zeitgeist through one perverted addict’s travels. Some of the most completely tasteless and juvenile swill you’ll ever hear lurks within, many of them standing out as legit great lost classics.

The Weeknd –Beauty Behind The Madness CD (Republic)Beauty Behind The Madness is the second studio album by The Weeknd, and features guest appearances from Labrinth, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey. “Beauty Behind The Madness is the moment Tesfaye takes all the free-floating anxiety and fear and cold, clammy darkness that’s been in his music since day one and turns it into pure big-tent pop gold. I never would’ve imagined that the guy singing vaporous sex jams over Beach House samples a few years ago would become one of the world’s biggest and greatest pop stars in a very short time, but here we are. BBTM is a total and unabashed sellout move, and that’s one of the best things about it. It shows what happens when an artist gives in to his commercial instincts and, in the process, finds his voice.” – Stereogum

The Weeknd – Echoes Of Silence [Reissue/2011] CD/2xLP (Republic)Echoes Of Silence is the third mixtape and last in a trilogy of albums by the Canadian recording artist. It followed his Polaris Music Prize-nominated debut release House Of Balloons and his second mixtape Thursday, both released earlier the same year (and recently reissued as well).

Yo La Tengo – Stuff Like That There CD/LP+MP3 (Matador)
This 14 song collection of covers (The Cure, Hank Williams, The Lovin’ Spoonful and more), originals and reworking(s) happens to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Yo La Tengo’s landmark 1990 album, Fakebook. Recorded with Gene Holder (The Feelies), Stuff Like That There, the trio of Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew is augmented by guitarist and former Yo La Tengo member Dave Schramm, with James negotiating the wonders of the upright bass for the first time.

The Robert Cray Band – 4 Nights Of 40 Years Live DVD/Blu-ray (Provogue)
Contemporary blues icon Robert Cray celebrates his 40 years of performing. This live set was captured at Venture, Belly Up, Saban Theatre and his rehearsal studio in Dec 2014. Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain 90 minutes of concert footage from multiple camera angles creating an incredible perspective. It also contains personal in-depth interviews with Robert Cray, his band members and testimonials from legends as Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Jimmie Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

Act Of Defiance – Birth And The Burial LP (Metal Blade)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. In a time of endless sub-genre classifications being thrown at bands Act Of Defiance cut to the quick, offering 100% in-your-face, uncompromising metal. “If you invited fans of all kinds of metal — from thrash to Scandinavian metal to metal to modern American metal — and had them all in a mosh pit, Act Of Defiance would be their soundtrack,” asserts guitarist Chris Broderick.

Will Archer(Slime) – Company LP (Weird World)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Company is the debut album by Slime, the nom-de-plume of producer and multi-instrumentalist Will Archer. At a time when electronic music feels dominated by bombast and hype, these ten elusive, unsettling and emotional tracks offer a master-class in nuance and sincerity. Coalescing into one unique statement, Company feels borne of that same late-night 3AM spiritual culture that defined late ‘90s electronic/instrumental hip-hop: songs that are large, but personal and private.

Bézier – Mina 12” (Hnytrx)
Over the past years Bézier (aka Robert Yang) has seen releases under the Dark Entries record imprint with the most recent Telomeres EP this year. The title track translates from Japanese to “Everyone.” “Mina” is a journey through space with the initial ascent marked by a moody window of time in which uncertainty dominates the mindset of the passengers. Once they break through the atmosphere and are proceeding as planned they land on the final destination: an interplanetary discotheque.

The Bohicas – The Making Of LP+MP3 (Domino)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. The Bohicas are rock and roll painted in vivid primary colors. Hi def, loud, fast, shiny and above all fun. A barrage of killer hooks, razor blade riffs and choruses that slap you in the face, grab your hand and lead you onto the dance floor. All shot through with pulp imagery torn from the pages of a graphic novel. “The title track proves you can combine post-millennium garage rock with cock-rocking guitar solos and even some anthemic ‘doop doops’ to get the crowd singing along. Just when you think the energy levels are red-lining, the wall-to-wall, machine-gun lyrics and urgent tempo of ‘Where You At,’ followed by with the pissed-off sneer of ‘XXX,’ and capped off with the relentless attack of ‘Swarm,’ knock it all up another notch.” – The Music

Junior Brown – Guit With It [1993] LP+MP3 (Curb)
Most artists playing and staying true to traditional country styles get pigeonholed as retro acts in the 1990s. Junior Brown, on the other hand, is viewed as something fresh and vital. You’d like to think it’s because of his appealing baritone drawl, deft songwriting touch, and fleet set of picking fingers, but you just know that it’s the Hendrix flourishes and his “guit-steel” creation that make him “relevant” to the contemporary Nashville tastemakers. Either way, Brown’s mix of Hawaiian-tinged ballads, honky-tonk weepers, steady shuffles, and boy-girl duets is as potent as country gets in the 1990s. This 1993 effort, his first for Curb, not only showcases his rather formidable guitar technique and wall-shaking voice, but also proves him to be a sneakily clever lyricist, whether being ironic, sarcastic, or honest. First time on vinyl.

Bruce Smear – Chlorine LP (Orange Milk)
New electronic project from Beach Fossils’ guitarist, Tommy Davidson. Chlorine is a meticulously crafted piece of retry-futuristic bass and dance music, coming fully formed from a seasoned musician with a distinct sense of space and composition, influenced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Prodigy and Seal, all filtered through a pristine, 3D modernist approach to production.

Donald Byrd – At The Halfnote Café Volume 1 [Reissue/1960] LP (Blue Note)
Live album by trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded in 1960 at the Half Note in Manhattan and released on the Blue Note label originally as two single LP issues. Trumpeter Byrd is joined on this recording by Pepper Adams, Duke Pearson, Laymon Jackson and Lex Humphries. Part of Blue Note’s ongoing 75th anniversary vinyl reissue campaign.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Jazz Goes To College [Reissue/1954] LP (Razor & Tie)
This incredible album documents the 1954 North American college tour of The Dave Brubeck Quartet and features Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Bob Bates on double bass and Joe Dodge on drums. Following the album’s original release, Dave Brubeck landed on the cover of Time Magazine and was declared ”the most exciting new jazz artist at work today.”

Mariah Carey – #1 To Infinity 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Released last May on CD – now available on vinyl. A career-spanning collection including all 18 of Mariah’s Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles, including the new track, “Infinity.”

Sonny Clark – Leapin’ & Lopin’ [Reissue/1962] LP (Blue Note)
Recorded in 1961 and released in 1962, this is Clark’s last album as a leader. Part of Blue Note’s ongoing 75th anniversary vinyl reissue campaign.

Dope Body – Kunk LP/Cassette (Drag City)
Dope Body are in a four-way conversation here, with drums, guitar, bass and vocals all pushing it around. Leaning into the future, mindlessly, just reacting, the jams of Kunk are shimmering, alive with a simmering sizzle. Swirling jams that pound and float, cloud-like, associating segmentally like a naturally growing train of thought. Kunk rolls forth with funk and flutter, plenty of riffs, stuttering and structure gleaming in the air. It’s a juggling act, and no balls hit the ground.

Ebenezer & The Bludgeons – Peer Pressure [Reissue/1978] 7” (Windian)
With tracks featured on three different Killed By Death comps, Baltimore’s Ebenezer & The Bludgeons first and only EP Peer Pressure from 1978 is both a classic slab of early American new wave and prohibitively rare and expensive to pick up on the used market.

Faith No More – The Real Thing [Reissue/1989] 2xLP (Rhino)Faith No More – Angel Dust [Reissue/1992] 2xLP (Rhino)
Recently reissued on CD – now available on vinyl. Deluxe double vinyl LP pressings include the original release accompanied by a second LP filled with rarities related to the album. After extensive touring for their 1989 album The Real Thing, the band returned in 1992 with Angel Dust. It climbed to Number 10 on the US album charts and would later be recognized as one of the most influential releases of the era. The album swings between extremes-aggressive and disturbing, but also beautiful and soothing-showing off every facet of the band’s quirky eloquence on such diverse tracks as “Midlife Crisis,” “Jizzlobber,” “R.V.” and “Small Victory.”

The Five Royales – The Five Royales [Reissue/1959] LP (Sundazed)
Classic R&B from the vaults of King/Federal Records. Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Steve Cropper all have cited The Five Royales’ guitarist and songwriter Lowman Pauling as a major influence. HQ-180gm.

Flowers Of Evil – Flowers Of Evil LP (Deranged)
New punk band from NYC featring members of Crocodiles, Young Boys, A Place To Bury Strangers and SISU. Flowers Of Evil pull influences from The Germs to Rudimentary Peni to The VSS with a sound that is more than just a tribute to confrontational punk bands of the past.

George Sand – Caroline LP (Austin Music Distribution)Caroline is the first vinyl release from NYC art pop band, George Sand. The songs are piano-based “modern tunes” with clear vocal harmonies and explicit literary content. It was recorded at the Mexican Summer studio in Brooklyn and features Clint Newsom (Vietnam, Rhythm Of Black Lines) on bass. “…strange, minimalist keyboard band… Jay Pluck (of Ed Askew Band) has obviously had some immersion in Philip Glass: there’s a hypnotic aspect to this music, but it’s more raw and ragged and gently, methodically disquieting…” — New York Music Daily

The Hangmen – What A Girl Can’t Do b/w The Girl Who Faded Away [Reissue/1965] 7” (Windian)
Released by Monument Records in 1965, The Hangmen’s first single “What A Girl Can’t Do” propelled the group to regional stardom, even supplanting The Beatles on the local charts. Traveling by hearse from gig to gig, The Hangmen garnered a rabid teenage following that forced their shows to be broken up by the local police on more than one occasion, even playing a private party at Robert Kennedy’s home.

Stefon Harris – Black Action Figure [Reissue/1999] LP (Blue Note)
Originally released in 1999, this is the jazz vibraphonist’s second album for Blue Note. Part of Blue Note’s ongoing 75th anniversary vinyl reissue campaign.

John Lee Hooker – Sings Blues [Reissue/1960] LP (Sundazed)
The embodiment of the blues! A primal architect of the genre’s structure, Hooker’s hypnotic guitar work and commanding vocals influenced everyone who followed, and these tracks—originally released in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s as “Texas Slim”—find him at the peak of his playing and singing powers.

Freddie Hubbard – Breaking Point [Reissue/1964] LP (Blue Note)Breaking Point is the ninth album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Featuring performances by Hubbard, James Spaulding, Ronnie Mathews, Eddie Khan and Joe Chambers, it “constitutes some of the most powerful jazz music of this time period.” Part of Blue Note’s ongoing 75th anniversary vinyl reissue campaign.

I Prevail – Heart Vs. Mind LP (Fearless)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. This Detroit pop/punk band offer a potent mixture of aggressive rock, electrical arrangements, and seamless melodic elements.

Jackie House – Stydive 12” (Hntryx)
With a vocal sample nod to punk’s past, “Stydive” pogo dances to dusty and stuttering live/analog drum rhythms and skips along a rude and infectious bass-line. Bound to find lovers of all persuasions for its dub-esque qualities, instantly recognizable hook, and open relationship with house music, this tune begged to have its own side.

The Jam – In The City [Reissue/1977] LP (Polydor/UMGD)The Jam – This Is The Modern World [Reissue/1977] LP (Polydor/UMGD)The Jam – All Mod Cons [Reissue/1978] LP (Polydor/UMGD)The Jam – Setting Sons [Reissue/1979] LP (Polydor/UMGD)The Jam – Sound Affects [Reissue/1980] LP (Polydor/UMGD)The Jam – The Gift [Reissue/1982] LP (Polydor/UMGD)
All five albums by the legendary British mod/punk trio are back in print on vinyl.

Kadavar – Berlin LP (Nuclear Blast America)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. German hard psych rockers Kadavar return with another slab of meaty metal.

Darren Keen – He’s Not Real LP (Orange Milk)
Darren Keen has been active for over 10 years under the monikers The Show Is The Rainbow, Touch People, and his given name. Having worked closely with The Faint and Girl Talk’s label, Illegal Art, his new album He’s Not Real continues his fascination with footwork, juke, bass music and African polyrhythms, melding these various dance genres and pushing them into new territories at home, at the club, on the floor, and in any adventurous music fan’s headphones.

Tori Kelly – Unbreakable Smile LP (Capitol)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Tori Kelly first rose to attention when her cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You.” The pop vocalist’s new album Unbreakable Smile guest appearances by Daye Jack, Ed Sheeran, and LL Cool J.

La Luz/Scully – Scully/La Luz (LAMC No. 16) 7” (Famous Class)
The sixteenth edition in Famous Class’ LAMC split series featuring an unreleased A-side track from one of the label’s favorite band’s, backed with a B-side track from a lesser-known artist handpicked by the A-side group.

Last Sons Of Krypton/Rev. Norb & The Onions – Rev. Norb & The Onions/Last Sons Of Krypton 12” (Kryptonite)
Two WI punk rock institutions pair up for a rare split release – new material from each in quite some time.

Lyle Lovett And His Large Band – Lyle Lovett And His Large Band [Reissue/1989] LP+MP3 (Curb)Lyle Lovett And His Large Band remains the big man’s most ambitious album in many ways. A smart split is effected, and not only between styles — the horn-driven swing of the first half backs the record’s wittiest, slyest songs, while the country-folk numbers are among Lovett’s most pensive. He’s not so mournful that he can’t raise an eyebrow at heartache, though: try “I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You.”

Mad Season – Mad Season: Live At The Moore 2xLP (Sony Legacy)
Originally released as a home video in 1995, Mad Season: Live At The Moore is now available as a collectible double-LP gatefold package with new liner notes penned by Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin especially for this 20th anniversary edition.

Johnny Marr – Candidate b/w Exit Connection 7” (New Voodoo)
New single from last year’s Playland LP featuring the non-album B-side “Exit Connection” which is “a swaggering Britrock song that gets in and out in under three minutes.” — Stereogum

Mastodon – The Hunter [Reissue/2011] LP (Reprise)
Limited red vinyl pressing of the 2011 album from the Atlanta metal band.

Tim McGraw – Everywhere [Reissue/1997] LP+MP3 (Curb)
Everywhere is the fourth album by the country star. It was his first release since his marriage to Faith Hill. His collaboration with his wife, “It’s Your Love,” was nominated for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals and Best Country Song at the 1998 Grammy Awards.

The Memories – Tell Me b/w Don’t Be A Drag 7” (Wharf Cat)
Recorded back in the steamy Summer of 2013 while The Memories were on tour with White Fang and Colleen Green. Their love letter to Summer, the A-Side is a lurid late night come-on in feigned call and response while the B-Side documents the point when a lover’s lameness is shown the broad daylight it demands. The tracks are coupled with original artwork by L.A. based artist, Joe Zorilla that accentuates the inner longing felt throughout these two stone soul jams.

The Midnighters – Their Greatest Hits [Reissue/1956] LP (Sundazed)
The lascivious pen of Henry “Hank” Ballard was responsible for many risqué odes, including The Midnighters’ “Work With Me Annie,” “Sexy Ways,” and “Get It,” major R&B hits of the early ‘50s all included here. HQ-180gm.

Mynabirds – Lovers Know 2xLP+MP3 (Saddle Creek)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Lovers Know is definitely new territory for songwriter Laura Burhenn, forging into ‘80s, ‘90s and futuristic soundscapes, recalling Kate Bush, Sinead O’Connor, The Jesus And Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and even ‘90s hip-hop and R&B. The album may be loaded with a fresh palette of new sounds (swarms of synths, gauzy electric guitars, and electronic drums), but her brooding, unmistakable voice leads the way. Lyrically this is her most personal and confessional work to date, and also her most accessible. Whereas her last album, Generals, watched from a wide angle to understand the world at a distance, Lovers Know pulls in close. “There’s something about wandering the world over,” Laura says, “that makes you realize how similar we all are – everyone searching for something, so often the same thing: love. It may sound trite, but it’s true. Love – or the lack of it – is the thing we all have in common. It can destroy us. It can break us open and let the light in. And it’s also the thing that can make us sing.”

Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas – Autoimaginary LP/Cassette (Drag City)
Natural Information Society, like their partners in time Bitchin Bajas, live their days in flow motion. Rhythms come and go, instruments sound as a means to a greater end. Music is the way of their life. Their debut convergence, Automaginary, feels as natural as it does inevitable. It is psychedelic and ambient and jazz — yet none of it either, the whole being more than the sum of former parts. This is music of unique variance.

Northlane – Node LP (Rise)
Recently released on CD – now available on purple vinyl. New album from the Aussie metalcore juggernauts.

Pleasure Leftists – The Woods Of Heaven LP (Deranged)
With a clear vision in place, Pleasure Leftists made their debut with a self-titled EP that recalls everything from Joy Division to Comsat Angels to Chameleons. Unlike many who rip off these influences, the group take only a few cues from the past, all to better construct its understanding of the present.

Shearing Pinx – Poison Hands [2006] LP (Gilgongo)
This collection of songs still sounds fresh, aspects of Unwound, Huggy Bear, Sleetmute Nightmute and Sonic Youth—the material is abrasive and challenging but at the same time, not really all that rough on the ears (if you’ve trained them well enough). First time on vinyl.

Bessie Smith – The Rough Guide To Bessie Smith [2012] LP+MP3 (World Music Network)
Bessie Smith was the first superstar of the blues with one of the greatest voices of the twentieth century — dubbed ‘The Empress Of The Blues.’

Paul Smith And The Imitations – Contradictions LP (Billinham/PIAS America)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. A classic album in waiting, Contradictions is the brand new record by dynamic pop auteur Paul Smith. It shows a more vulnerable side to the Maxïmo Park ringleader, drawing inspiration from across the miles combining North Easterly charm with the grit of Brooklyn’s NYC coast and shows that no matter where you’re heading or where you’ve been, life itself can be a bit of a paradox.

Soundtrack – Beverly Hills Cop [Reissue/1984] LP (Geffen)
Limited vinyl LP repressing of this classic ’80s soundtrack. It won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. The instrumental-only title tune, “Axel F,” is definitive of the ‘80s and has since been covered by numerous artists.

Soundtrack – Coyote Ugly [2000] LP+MP3 (Curb)
Soundtrack to the Jerry Bruckheimer film starring John Goodman, Tyra Banks, Piper Perabo and others. The soundtrack features music by Don Henley, The Charlie Daniels Band., INXS, and four songs from LeAnn Rimes, all penned by famed songwriter Diane Warren.

Soundtrack – Mallrats [Reissue/1995] LP (Geffen)
Soundtrack to the 1995 romantic comedy directed by Kevin Smith and prequel to the 1994 film Clerks. The soundtrack includes music by Bush, Weezer, Silverchair, Sublime and more and features a lenticular cover.

Spock’s Beard – The Oblivion Particle LP (Inside Out U.S.)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Spock’s Beard is a progressive rock band formed in 1993 in Los Angeles. 2015 finds Spock’s Beard returning with the same lineup for the band’s twelfth album, The Oblivion Particle, an album that captures the band’s core essence while stretching out into some exciting new avenues.

Status Quo – The Vinyl Collection 10xLP (Mercury/Universal)
Remastered from original tapes and presented on HQ-180gm vinyl with original covers:

Piledriver (1972), Hello (1973), Quo (1974), On The Level (1975), Blue For You (1976), Rockin’ All Over The World (1977), Live! (1977), If You Can’t Stand The Heat (1978), Whatever You Want (1979), and Just Supposin’ (1980).

Sunday Painters – Something To Do [Reissue/1982] LP+MP3 (What’s Your Rupture?)Sunday Painters – Fourth Annual Report [Reissue/1985] LP+MP3 (What’s Your Rupture?)Sunday Painters – In My Dreams LP+MP3 (What’s Your Rupture?)
The Sunday Painters were formed in late 1978 by Peter Raengel and Peter MacKinnon. Their first single, 1979’s Alternatives To Perfection, was a garage-DIY take on the Velvets. For their next single, 1980’s Painting By Numbers, they recorded a crunching, electro-punk cover of Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” that got modest airplay on Sydney’s 2JJJ. Their final 7”, 1981’s Three Kinds Of Escapism, led with “Let’$ Be Moderne,” which combined wistful backing vocals by bassist Kerrie Erwin, a spiky “post-modernist guitar solo,” and a steelworker’s metallic bashing to create a snappy, industrial pop-punk classic. All are collected on In My Dreams.

Wildlights – Wildlights LP (Season Of Mist)
Released last week on CD – now available on vinyl. Wildlights was founded in Wilmington, NC, but wield a unique brand of heavy, melodic rock that draws inspiration equally from the blues-based, low-end sound of the South as well as driving, melodic skate/desert rock pedigree of Southern California.

Cassandra Wilson – New Moon Daughter [Reissue/1995] LP (Blue Note)
Her luscious alto has the depth and texture of a great tenor saxophonist, but Cassandra Wilson’s defining asset is a post-modern song sense that enables her to surf through Son House, Neil Young, Johnny Mercer, Billie Holiday, and (gasp!) the Monkees in pursuit of strong songs that can provide that instrument with a canvas. Her second Blue Note album extends Wilson’s seductive pilgrimage beyond the conventions of jazz repertoire and accompaniment, yet it’s her instincts as a jazz singer that inform these brilliant readings. Part of Blue Note’s ongoing 75th anniversary vinyl reissue campaign.

The Zombies – Odyssey And Oracle [Reissue/1968] LP (Varese Sarabande)
One of Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 100 greatest rock albums of all time. Long out of print on vinyl, it was released for RSD 2014 as a HQ-180gm limited edition. This standard weight version is an essential album for any collector, and features the band’s biggest hit, “Time Of The Season.”

Cassettes:

Dope Body – Kunk (Drag City)
Dope Body are in a four-way conversation here, with drums, guitar, bass and vocals all pushing it around. Leaning into the future, mindlessly, just reacting, the jams of Kunk are shimmering, alive with a simmering sizzle. Swirling jams that pound and float, cloud-like, associating segmentally like a naturally growing train of thought. Kunk rolls forth with funk and flutter, plenty of riffs, stuttering and structure gleaming in the air. It’s a juggling act, and no balls hit the ground.

Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas – Autoimaginary (Drag City)
Natural Information Society, like their partners in time Bitchin Bajas, live their days in flow motion. Rhythms come and go, instruments sound as a means to a greater end. Music is the way of their life. Their debut convergence, Automaginary, feels as natural as it does inevitable. It is psychedelic and ambient and jazz — yet none of it either, the whole being more than the sum of former parts. This is music of unique variance.